Kenyan Presidential Election Is Peaceful; Violence Feared Over Results<br />John Cox Lorionokou said that I’m nervous.<br />In the run-up to this year’s vote, fake news reports, candidates’ accusations of peddling hatred<br />and electoral fraud, and the killing of a top election official cast further doubt on the fairness of the race between President Uhuru Kenyatta, 55, leader of the Jubilee Party, and Raila Odinga, 72, a former prime minister who was making his fourth, and possibly last, bid for the presidency.<br />Efforts were made to head off potential violence once voting ended: The electoral authorities used biometric technology to prevent fraud<br />and to instill confidence; the two leading candidates made pleas for peace; and even former President Barack Obama, whose father was born in the country, called on Kenyans to reject violence.<br />"Are we going for war today or are we going for elections?" demanded Silas Owiti, 30, a voter in Kisumu<br />and a youth leader for the National Super Alliance, the opposition umbrella group led by Mr. Odinga.<br />8, 2017<br />KISUMU, Kenya — Millions of Kenyans went to the polls on Tuesday to vote for a new president, the culmination of a campaign dominated by concerns about the potential for vote-rigging and fears<br />that the country would be plunged into violence once the winner was announced.<br />In 2007 and 2013, residents of Kisumu said they saw the police fire live ammunition into crowds of opposition supporters after the election.<br />"It’s very difficult for the election to be rigged<br />because everything is digitized." Throughout his campaign, Mr. Odinga roused supporters by warning that the election could be stolen.
